Meet Sarah Dahnke

Join us welcoming Arab-American arts leader, choreographer and educator Sarah Dahnke as MENA Theater Maker Alliance’s new General Manager!

After a national search, Sarah was unanimously selected by the hiring committee, and began her tenure on January 5, 2026. As our first staff member, she will be taking on the day-to-day operations of the organization in collaboration with our Board of Directors. She will be managing important programs like the MENA Theater Makers Fund, our biannual convenings, and ongoing marketing, communications, and community engagement.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Dahnke to MENA Theater Makers Alliance,” says Board President Denmo Ibrahim. “She brings a rare combination of care and clarity, expertise in arts administration, and a deep commitment to community. Sarah joins us at a pivotal moment in our organization’s growth, as we broaden our national reach to theater makers of SWANA descent, launch our regranting program, and continue to strengthen the infrastructure needed to support this work with intention and sustainability.”

Sarah’s work bridges creative practice, institutional leadership, and community-centered cultural work with current and previous positions at NYU, chashama, and as a digital archivist for Marina Abramović. Sarah’s creative practice centers on devised performance and dance film, with work at BRIC, the Dance Films Association, Movies By Movers, and the Tiny Dance Film Festival. She was recently an artist-in-residence at the Arab American National Museum. Sarah is the founder and artistic director of Dances for Solidarity, a long-term project that co-creates choreography with people impacted by the criminal legal system as a form of public advocacy and collective storytelling.

The General Management position is made possible through the generous support of Wallace Foundations’ Advancing Wellbeing in the Arts initiative.